The new era for ‘El Tri’ has begun

Gerardo “Tata” Martino was introduced as Mexico’s national soccer team head coach on Jan. 7. Every time a new coach arrives to “El Tri,” millions of Mexicans hope that a new process will let them advance to the famous “fifth game” in the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament.

“Tata” made his debut as the Mexican team’s coach on March 22 against Chile’s national soccer team
at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif.

Pressure, position, possession, precision and passion. Those are the pillars of Martino’s Doctrine and there are no secrets in it. The only secret is to do it well. And do it always; it doesn’t matter who you are playing against.

Mexico defeated Chile 3-1 that Friday in San Diego. “El Tri” seemed comfortable on the board and on the field, but only in the second half. The first 45 minutes were considered hysteria.

It was a night of experimenting and attempts. Scores often cause confusion, especially a 3-1. This is one of them, because Mexico certainly cannot celebrate or regret it. The first half was a complete stigma. But in the second half, everything changed.

Martino discovered that the group is trying to do what he wants to do, the style of play and ways to improve it. But, obviously, not all the players met the coach’s expectations.

In the second half, the team got better, and this was because of the principles mentioned before. Some of the players already know them, some because of their experience and others because they played with that style of game in their clubs. Some players learned the principles in Europe and others learned them in the Liga MX.

The first test has left a positive result. It’s always good to start on the right foot. Mexico was able to win the game because the road to triumph was established from the effective treatment of the ball, starting a play from the defense, not jumping the lines and explosive transitions with speed and depth–the pure style of Martino’s play.

The faces of the new Mexican generation stepped forward: Carlos Rodríguez, Rodolfo Pizarro, Raúl Jiménez, Edson Álvarez, Jesús Gallardo and Hirving Lozano. With them, Martino will generate a future, but he will do it, I suppose, with intelligence: maintaining the base of veterans–Guillermo Ochoa, Andres Guardado, Hector Moreno, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez–and giving the young players an opportunity to play.

It is true that the style of Juan Carlos Osorio, the previous “El Tri” coach, seemed more attached to the needs of a soccer club than a selection. Martino doesn’t do too many experiments. He will put the pieces in place and as soon as he has the chance, will look for a base team with which he can rehearse his style again and again to get what he wants.

The process is underway and many fans, including me, can feel calm, because the work done by Tata in a couple of games is paying off.